Selective shielding for multiple exposure masks

ABSTRACT

A system for preparing mask data to create a desired layout pattern on a wafer with a multiple exposure photolithographic printing system. In one embodiment, boundaries of features are expanded to create shields for those features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in a direction that are printed with greater fidelity by an illumination pattern used in the multiple exposure printing system.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to photolithographic processing in general, and in particular to techniques for preparing mask data for use with multiple exposure processing techniques.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In conventional photolithographic processing, circuit elements to be created in an integrated circuit are formed by exposing a semiconductor wafer through a photolithographic mask or reticle having a pattern of features formed thereon. The wafer is then chemically and mechanically processed to create the corresponding circuit elements on the wafer.

As the size of the features on the mask or reticle become smaller than the wavelength of light used to expose the mask or reticle, optical and other process distortions can occur such that the shape of the circuit elements created on the wafer may vary substantially from the desired pattern of features. Therefore, most photolithographic processing uses one or more resolution enhancement techniques, such as optical and process correction (OPC), adding sub resolution assist features (SRAFs), etc., to minimize the distortions.

Another technique used to increase the fidelity with which a pattern of circuit elements is created on a wafer is to use different illumination methods. For example, double exposure techniques create a pattern of circuit elements by exposing masks with one illumination pattern that is optimized to print features that are oriented in a particular direction onto the wafer. Another illumination pattern then prints another set of features that are oriented in a different direction in order to create the desired pattern of circuit elements on the wafer. One form of double exposure that is becoming more popular in photolithographic processing is double dipole exposure. With double dipole exposure, a first exposure is performed with a dipole illumination pattern oriented in a first (e.g., X) direction and a second exposure is made with a dipole illumination pattern oriented in a direction perpendicular (i.e., Y) direction to that of the first illumination pattern.

With dipole illumination, features, or portions thereof, of a desired layout print with a better image fidelity when they are oriented perpendicular to the orientation of the dipole illumination pattern. That is, design features that are oriented in a vertical direction are best imaged when exposed with a dipole illumination pattern that is oriented horizontally. Similarly, horizontally oriented features, or portions thereof, are best imaged when exposed with a dipole illumination pattern that is oriented in the vertical direction.

Because most design layouts include features, and portions thereof, that are oriented in both the horizontal and vertical directions, attempts have been made to develop software tools for the production of masks that allow the exposure of features that are better oriented for a particular dipole illumination pattern and prevent the exposure of features that are not optimally oriented. One technique for doing this is to place large shields over the features that are not optimally oriented for the illumination pattern in question. While such a technique can work in theory, it is difficult to develop software algorithms for converting layout data into mask data including shields on a mask. Therefore, there is a need for a system which can automatically analyze a desired layout pattern and prepare mask data for use with multiple exposure fabrication techniques.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a system and method for preparing data for one or more masks to create a desired pattern of circuit elements on a mask with a multiple exposure fabrication technique.

In one embodiment of the invention, mask data is prepared for use with a photolithographic system using a double dipole illumination pattern that prints features with greater fidelity when the features, or portions thereof, are oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to the orientation of the dipole. A computer program analyzes data representing a desired layout pattern and modifies the data by creating shields around the features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in a direction with which the illumination pattern prints features with greater fidelity. In one embodiment, shields are created by expanding the edge fragments defining the boundaries of the features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented for printing with greater fidelity. In one embodiment, the modified data including features, or portions thereof, that are oriented for printing with greater fidelity and the shielded features, or portions thereof, are subjected to one or more resolution enhancement techniques, such as OPC, to define the mask data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate different orientations of features that are printed with greater fidelity on a wafer by different illumination patterns;

FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate one embodiment of a technique for preparing mask data for use with a multiple exposure photolithographic processes in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a technique for creating shields around a feature, or portion thereof, to be included on a mask in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a representative computer system for producing mask data in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As indicated above, the present invention is a system and method for converting layout data into mask data for the creation of one or more masks or reticles that will be used with a multiple exposure photolithographic processing technique. Although the present invention is described with respect to double dipole exposure techniques, it will be appreciated that the present invention can be used with other multiple exposure techniques such as alternating PSM. Although the invention is described with respect to creating mask data, the present invention can also be used to create reticle data. Therefore, for purposes of this invention, the terms are meant to be synonymous.

FIG. 1A illustrates a number of features 10 that are contained on a mask and are aligned in the Y direction as indicated by the arrow 12. The features 10 are exposed onto a wafer 20 with a dipole illumination pattern having a pair of light sources 14, 16 that are oriented in the X direction, as indicated by the arrow 18. Upon illumination of the mask features 10, a corresponding pattern will be created on the wafer 20. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the features 10 that are oriented in the X direction are printed with a greater image fidelity than features that are not oriented in a direction perpendicular to the orientation of the dipole illumination pattern. FIG. 1B illustrates a second pattern of features 22 that are oriented in the X direction, as indicated by the arrow 24. The features 22 are exposed with a dipole illumination pattern having light sources 26, 28 that are oriented in the Y direction, as indicated by the arrow 30. The features 22 are printed with a greater image fidelity than features that are not oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to the orientation of the illumination pattern. To create the desired pattern on the wafer, both illumination patterns are used.

In contrast to the simplified examples shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, FIG. 2A illustrates a more realistic example of a desired layout pattern to be printed on a wafer. As will be appreciated, the desired layout pattern 50 has features that are oriented in the X direction, the Y direction, and some features having portions that are oriented in both the X and Y directions. For example, the feature 52 is generally oriented in a Y direction and will be printed with a greater fidelity by a dipole illumination pattern that is oriented in the X direction. Conversely, a feature 56 that is generally oriented in the X direction is printed with greater fidelity with a dipole illumination pattern that is oriented in a Y direction. A feature 54 can be said to be oriented in both the Y and X directions.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, mask data is created by creating shields around those features or portions thereof that are not oriented for printing with increased fidelity with an illumination pattern to be used with the mask.

FIG. 3 illustrates one technique for shielding features, or portions thereof, in a desired layout that are not printed with a greater fidelity by a particular illumination pattern. A feature 100 includes generally vertically oriented portions 102 and 104 and a portion 106 that is generally horizontally oriented. A portion 108 of the feature 100 has edges that are both vertically and horizontally oriented. In one embodiment of the invention, data describing the feature 100 is used to create patterns on two masks designed for different orientations of the illumination pattern.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a computer system reads data that describes the feature 100 from a design layout data file. Features in the design layout data file are typically defined as sequences of vertices defining a polygon in a layout description language such as GDS-II or Oasis™. Upon reading the vertice data, a computer system adds vertices to the polygons in order to define a number of smaller edge fragments 110, 112, etc., that extend around the edges of the polygon that define the feature 100. Each edge fragment is defined by fragmentation endpoints having a known position.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, if a feature, or portion thereof, is oriented in a direction which is not printed with a greater fidelity by an illumination pattern of the exposure tool, a shield is placed around the feature, thereby effectively making it larger. For example, the portion 102 of the feature 100 is oriented in the Y direction. For the mask that will be used with a dipole illumination pattern that is also oriented in the Y direction, the edge fragments defining the boundaries of the vertical portion 102 of the feature 100 are biased outwardly by a sufficient amount to create a shield around that portion of the feature. For example, the edge fragment 110 can be biased outward to form an edge fragment 110 a for use in creating a mask to be used with an illumination pattern that is oriented in the same direction as that portion 102 of the feature 100. For those features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in a direction that prints the features with a greater fidelity, little or no biasing of the edge fragments is required.

In a typical layout description language, such as GDS-II or Oasis™, each edge fragment defined in a layout database typically includes a parameter indicating the angle of orientation of the edge fragment. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, vertically oriented edge fragments such as edge fragment 110 are indicated in the layout description language as being oriented at 90 degrees, while horizontally oriented edge fragments such as edge fragment 112 are indicated as being oriented at 0 degrees. In one embodiment of the invention, a computer program analyzes each edge fragment that defines the perimeter of the feature. To create mask data for use with an illumination pattern that is oriented in the X direction, the edge fragments that are oriented in the Y direction are biased by a little or no amount, while those features that are oriented in the X direction are biased outwardly by a sufficient amount to create a shield around the feature. In one embodiment, edge fragments are biased by 10-20 nanometers. The result is a redefinition of the perimeter of the feature 100 with the edge fragments that are oriented for greater printing fidelity by an intended illumination pattern having little or no shield, and those edge fragments defining portions of the feature that are not oriented for greater printing fidelity by an illumination pattern having a shield. In one embodiment, the modified layout data to be with masks for each illumination pattern are stored in separate data layers of the layout database.

In the example shown, an outline 120 defines the boundaries of the feature for use in creating a mask that will be exposed with an illumination pattern that is oriented in the X direction, while a dotted line 122 indicates the boundaries of the feature for use in creating the mask that will be exposed with an illumination pattern that is oriented in the Y direction.

In one embodiment of the invention, the polygons defined for each mask feature are further corrected with one or more resolution enhancement techniques such as OPC prior to being printed on the masks. In one embodiment, the line ends of a feature are identified by the computer and the edge fragments associated with the line ends are biased outward to compensate for well known line end shortening distortion that occurs during photolithographic processing. Line ends can be detected by an edge fragment having a length that is less than some defined value that is connected to two corner end points. By biasing the line ends outwardly, even if a feature is oriented in the direction of increased printing fidelity by an illumination pattern, the OPC tool can operate more quickly to produce the desired end result.

FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate a number of polygons defined from the original layout data 50 shown in FIG. 2A. The polygons shown in FIG. 2B are redefined to expand the dimension of those features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in the X direction. For example, compare feature 56 a shown in FIG. 2B with the original feature 56 shown in FIG. 2A. Those features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in the vertical direction have dimensions that are substantially identical to the original layout data shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C illustrates a number of features, or portions thereof, that are expanded if oriented in the Y direction, while those features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in the X direction have dimensions that are substantially identical to the layout data as shown in FIG. 2A.

OPC or other resolution enhancement techniques can be applied to the polygons defined for the X illumination pattern mask and the Y illumination pattern mask. FIG. 2D illustrates the results of the OPC-corrected polygons for the X illumination pattern mask, while FIG. 2E illustrates the OPC corrected polygons for use in the Y illumination pattern mask. When used with a double exposure photolithographic process, the result is a number of features printed on a wafer as shown in the simulation of FIG. 2F. As will be appreciated by comparing the simulated pattern shown in FIG. 2F with the desired layout pattern shown in FIG. 2A, the pattern of features created on the wafer closely matches the desired pattern.

Because two masks are used to create a feature, or a portion thereof, on a wafer the OPC tool or other resolution enhancement tool may consider two or more edge fragments on the masks in order to achieve a desired edge placement error (EPE) on the wafer. In one embodiment, two or more edge fragments on both masks are mapped to a single corresponding location on the wafer. In one embodiment, OPC is performed on the edge fragments on both masks in a manner described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,430,737 and 7,028,284, both of which are assigned to Mentor Graphics Corporation, the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated by reference herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system that can be used to produce the mask data in accordance with the present invention. A computer system 200 receives a sequence of executable instructions on a computer-readable media 202 or from a communication link 204 such as a local or wide area network including the Internet. Upon executing the instructions, the computer system 200 reads a desired layout from a database 206 or other computer-readable media. The computer system operates to produce mask data for use in creating photolithographic masks or reticles for each of the illumination patterns in the manner described above. The completed mask data is transmitted to a mask writer 210 via a communication link 212 or on one or more computer-readable media 214.

In one embodiment of the invention, the computer system 200 reads the desired layout from the database 206 and transmits the layout data to a remote computer 220, which may be inside or outside the United States. The remote computer system 220 calculates the mask data in accordance with the techniques described above and returns the mask data to the computer system 200 or transmits the mask data in a computer-readable form to the mask writer 210.

As will be appreciated, the present invention provides a simple technique for creating mask data to print a desired pattern of features on a wafer with a multiple exposure technique. In one embodiment of the invention, each feature in the desired layout pattern is included in the mask data for the masks to be used with different illumination patterns. In some embodiments, features that are oriented in a single direction may be used to create data for masks to be used with an illumination pattern that is optimized to print features in that direction but not used to create data for masks that will be used with another illumination pattern.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be determined from the following claims and equivalents thereof. 

1. A method of preparing data to create a mask that is used with a photolithographic process that prints features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in a predefined direction with greater fidelity than features, or portions thereof that are not oriented in the predefined direction, comprising: receiving data representing a number of polygons that define a target pattern of features to be printed on the wafer with the mask; analyzing the data to locate features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the predefined direction; modifying the data by expanding the polygons corresponding to the located features, or portions thereof, to create a shield around those features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the predefined direction; and using the modified data to create the mask.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing optical and process correction (OPC) on the modified data to create the mask data.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: analyzing the data to locate the line ends of features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in the predefined direction; and extending the polygons corresponding to the line ends prior to performing OPC on the modified data.
 4. A method of preparing mask layout data for a mask to print a target pattern on a wafer with a photolithographic process that prints features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in one direction with greater fidelity than features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in another direction, comprising: receiving data representing a target pattern of features to be created on a wafer; analyzing the data representing the target pattern to determine one or more features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the direction with which the photolithographic process to be used with the mask prints features with greater fidelity; modifying the data by expanding outwardly the edges of those features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the direction with which the photolithographic process prints features with greater fidelity; and using the modified data to create the data for the mask.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing optical and process correction on the modified data to create the mask data.
 6. A computer-readable media containing a sequence of program instructions that cause a computer to perform the method of claim
 1. 7. A computer-readable media containing a sequence of program instructions that cause a computer to perform the method of claim
 4. 8. A method of preparing data to create a mask that is used with a photolithographic process that prints features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in a predefined direction with greater fidelity than features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the predefined direction, comprising: receiving data representing a number of polygons that define a target pattern of features to be printed on the wafer with the mask; transmitting the data representing the target pattern of features to a remote computer that performs the acts of: analyzing the data to locate features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the predefined direction; modifying the data by expanding the polygons corresponding to the located features, or portions thereof, to create a shield around those features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the predefined direction; and using the modified data to create the mask.
 9. A method of preparing mask layout data for a mask to print a target pattern on a wafer with a photolithographic process that prints features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in one direction with greater fidelity than features, or portions thereof, that are oriented in another direction, comprising: receiving data representing a target pattern of features to be created on a wafer; transmitting the data representing the target pattern of features to a remote computer that performs the acts of: analyzing the data representing the target pattern to determine one or more features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the direction with which the photolithographic process to be used with the mask prints features with greater fidelity; modifying the data by expanding outwardly the edges of those features, or portions thereof, that are not oriented in the direction with which the photolithographic process prints features with greater fidelity; and using the modified data to create the data for the mask. 